Someday
by ChickenButter888
Summary: Everything passes in a blurry scene right before Sophie's eyes. Before she knows it, the elvin world is at war. Story is set after Nightfall, but details from Flashback will be included. This is a Sokeefe story, but there's not gonna be much time for fluff, but I promise there will be some. Even though the first few chapters suck, there will be improvement. I can promise you that.
1. Chapter 1

**Keefe POV**

Keefe knew it was wrong. He knew the risks. He knew how likely his carefully devised plan could be ruined. He knew he would hate it-even more than before. But he also knew it was the only way they could win.

Keefe Sencen was going to join the Neverseen. Again. And he hated every little bit of it.

He hated that he was going to live with the enemy. He hated that he was going to be known as a "traitor" to those why didn't know he was going as a double agent. He hated that he wouldn't be sleeping in a comfortable bed, eating good food, and styling his hair. But most of all, he hated that he was going to be leaving Sophie Foster behind.

Sophie Foster, the girl he'd fallen for the second he'd laid an eye upon her. Keefe didn't know how it could be possible to be so _perfect_. Her golden-flecked brown eyes, her smile, and her amazing personality. She was so powerful and was the only person who really understood Keefe. She was the only person to really care about him and understand what it felt like to be different. It hurt to just imagine the hurt, disappointment, anger, and sadness in those gorgeous eyes of hers when he would have to tell her that he was leaving. Just the aspect of leaving Sophie would make his stomach queasy.

He knew that Sophie was never going to like him back. She already had Fitz, and he was definitely not going to be able to take Sophie from him. She was happy with Fitz, and Keefe wanted her to be happy. It was his only wish.

As he fingered the bracelet he'd made her, Keefe wondered who Sophie was going to recall him as. Would he be the traitor who always left her, even when he'd sworn to protect her? Or would he be the one who was always there to comfort her and always be there for her? Either way, he sat assured that Sophie was going to remember him. Heck, Sophie had photographic memory. And he gave her a necklace. And now a bracelet. And he had really awesome hair.

Keefe was sitting on his bed at the Waves of Wimpiness, and he was preparing to go to visit Sophie for the last time before he joined the Neverseen. He was going to tell her everything-his plan, his thoughts, his feelings. Keefe had a feeling that it might be the last time to ever see her in person again. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. _Sophie's going to hate you for this,_ a tiny voice in the back of his head said. _She'll never forgive you,_ it told him. Keefe mentally slapped himself. He was doing the right thing. Right? _Oh, keep telling yourself that,_ the voice said. _You know that it's wrong, but you won't admit it,_ it teased him. "Shut up!" Keefe said aloud. Ro chuckled in the corner.

"First sign of insanity-talking to yourself," she said, smiling wickedly.

"You're only in trouble if you answered yourself," he retorted, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Keefe had already told her of his plans. While he was gone, Ro was to stay with Sophie and make sure she stayed safe no matter what. Keefe sighed. He knew he should stop stalling and get his butt to Havenfield. He looked at Ro and said, "We should get to Foster's now." As her eyes bulged excitedly, and Keefe knew what was about to hit him. As he covered his ears and started shouting, "LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! AAAAAAHHHHHHH," Ro squealed, "I HAVE to be there. I need to hear, with my own beautiful ears, you confess your undying love for the girl. This is going to be the best day of my life!" Keefe stopped shouting and sniped back, "Well, I can't wait to hear, with my own beautiful ears, you SHUT UP. And, this is going to be the worst day of your life when I push you off a cliff. Oh, and Foster's not going to be there to teleport you." Ro cringed and, to Keefe's relief, shut up. He smiled as his mind flashed back to the time when they were trying to get Forkle to tell them what Nightfall was originally built for:

 _Sophie stood. "Or I could push into your mind and find it myself."_

 _"I'll help," Fitz offered, moving to stand next to her. "Remember how well that worked during our Cognate training?"_

 _"See? That's why I heart these kids," Ro said. "They don't just make threats-they_ mean _them."_

Keefe lifted his crystal to the light and shouted, "Havenfield!"

 **A/N: This is my first fanfic, please review, follow, favorite, kill, curse, or whatever. I WELCOME SUGGESTIONS. It is probably really bad, but it'll get better.**

 **-ChickenButter888**

 **A/N(February 17, 2019): Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. I HATE that chapter. Seriously, what was I thinking at the time? This is just... serious trash. I hate it. Gross.**


	2. Chapter 2

Sophie heard a knock on her door. Wondering who it could be, especially since it was near midnight, she strolled over to the door. She opened it and...

Found Keefe leaning against her doorframe, with Ro right behind him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what the heck are you doing here?" Keefe hadn't let her know that he was coming. At _midnight._

Sophie noticed that Sandor also looked troubled, but that might've been because Ro was looking extra giddy and excited today. That made _her_ feel troubled. Whenever Ro was excited, bad things were going to happen.

"Sheesh, Foster, can't I just visit you because I feel like it? It's not like I came here to kidnap you or anything," Keefe said, smirking.

Sophie blushed and shoved him into her room. As much as she was flattered that Keefe said he felt like visiting her, she knew that it must have not been the only reason why he came so suddenly.

"So, what brings you here today?" Sophie asked, quirking her eyebrow at him. "And no–tell me the truth. I know you didn't come here in the middle of the night just to say hi," she added.

She sat down and gestured for him to sit. "Sit your butt down and tell me what is so important you had to come here at midnight." Keefe took a seat next to her.

"Yeah, I need to tell you something," he began without his usual confidence. Sophie gave him a look that said, _Go on._ Keefe was acting strange. He didn't usually stall for this long.

Keefe took a deep breath and looked at her dead in the eyes. She couldn't help but notice how his eyes always seemed to sparkle and how perfect his hair was, like always. "I need to go join the Neverseen again," he said simply.

Sophie's heart seemed to sink to her stomach. She started to panic. Join the Neverseen? _Again?_ After what happened last time? Even when the Neverseen already knew him as a traitor? Most of all, she didn't want him to leave her again. As much as she hated to admit it, she really couldn't live without Keefe. It would break her.

Beside her, Keefe squirmed. "Wow–thanks for the encouragement you're giving me," he said sarcastically. "That's a whole lot of emotions you're hitting me with."

"How can I not?" Sophie said angrily. "You've left so many times before, and now you're doing it again? If this keeps happening, how am I supposed to know whether or not to trust you? And also, I'm curious to see how you plan to join them again. They already know you as a traitor. If they see you again, they are going to murder you the first chance they get. I mean, if you want to die, go ahead! What you're planning is just a plan for suicide!"

Keefe just studied her like an interesting animal. "You're adorable when you're angry. Did I ever tell you that?"

Sophie just huffed angrily. "Just tell me your predictably crazy plan," she said. "And if this is a prank, I _will_ tear your limbs off. I can promise you that."

"Yeah, definitely. I came here in the middle of the night to panic you and make you want to shred me to pieces," he said. "No! Do you think I would ever prank you with something like this?"

"Yes."

Keefe put his hand over his heart with mock hurt in his eyes. "That hurts, Foster. But anyway, I'll tell you my 'predictably crazy' plan. Damel, you know, the Washer dude, is going to help me out–"

"You know that's putting his life in serious danger, too, right?"

"Yes, I do know, Foster." Keefe rolled his eyes.

"Sooo... He's okay with having a ninety nine percent chance of dying?" she inquired.

"Yep," Keefe answered quite cheerfully.

Sophie sighed and reached up to pull out an eyelash. She couldn't just _let_ Keefe leave again. Was there a way she could get him to change his mind? Was that even possible? She huffed in frustration. Her emotions was a mess. Even she didn't know what she was feeling. Whatever it was, it _definitely_ wasn't happiness.

She didn't realize there was a tear rolling down her cheek until Keefe reached up and brushed it away. She felt chills go down her spine, and it wasn't because she was cold.

"What's wrong?" Keefe asked concernedly. There was a softness to his voice that Sophie hadn't heard before. But that didn't make her feel any better. If anything, it fueled her anger.

"Everything! Why do you have to go? It didn't even work out at all last time! Why are you leaving me again? _Do you have any common sense left in you?_ " Sophie said.

"Trust me, Foster, I don't want to do this," he said. "But, Sophie, it's the only way we can take the Neverseen. We're not going to win if I don't do this. I have to go. There's no way we could win if I don't," he said quietly, taking her hand in his. "There's no way that all of us will survive if we don't do this," he whispered, looking at her dead in the eyes.

"Then why does it have to be you? I don't want you to leave. Why can't someone else go? Like Fitz?" Sophie questioned. She had gotten over her crush on Fitz. She finally accepted that it wasn't going to work out. Also, her feelings for a certain blond-haired boy kept growing, no matter how hard she tried to repress the emotions. When Fitz came over these past few days, she wouldn't blush. She didn't see his eyes the same way anymore. When he smiled at her, her heart didn't flutter anymore.

As she knew he would, Keefe smirked. "Wow, you must be desperate if you want to _Fitz_ to go instead of me. Or have you figured out the love triangle?" He teased, waggling his eyebrows. Sophie slapped him, her cheeks blazing. She actually _did_ figure out the triangle... But there was _no way_ she was going to admit that she liked him.

"But it has to be _me_ because I, unlike the Fitzter, am extremely good at lying and improvising," he said.

Sophie sighed. "Just tell me your plan already," she said with a groan. She knew Keefe was stalling. Sophie noticed how Keefe was chewing his lip and twisting his thumbs together.

He noticed her staring. "What? Do I really look that hot?"

Sophie slapped him again.

Keefe sighed. "Fine. While I'm gone, Ro is going to be your bodyguard. I stole two starstones that lead to the hideout. I'm going to use one of them to get there. I'll sneak in with Damel, and I'll find them and sedate them with these"-Keefe gestured at a few disks that Sophie recognized as the ones she'd used on her family ages ago, "and then Damel will go and erase all memories of me. We'll drag them all to one place, so I can see when they start to wake up, and Damel will leave.

"When they wake up, they'll see me looking at them and they won't recognize me. I'll tell them that I followed some guy who sedated all of the Neverseen there. I will tell them that I tried to stop them, and they'll hopefully believe me. If they don't, well, I'll improvise. I'll ask to join, and they will tell me to prove my loyalty. Admit it, Foster, I'm a genius," Keefe finished with a grin.

Sophie _did_ think it was an okay plan. Not that the whole concept of leaving her was okay. But...

"That's a big thing to improvise, Keefe. What the heck are you going to say?" Sophie questioned.

"I said _improvising_ for a reason, Foster. I'll make it up when I get there. _If_ I get there." But Keefe looked unsure.

Sophie didn't think there was any chance of her being able to convince Keefe to stay with her. She couldn't have Keefe leave her, especially since he made this sound so... _permanent._ He was talking like he was never going to come back.

Without Keefe, life would have no meaning. Without Keefe, her mind would break. Keefe was always the one who was always there for her. Not Fitz. Not Dex. Not Tam. Not anyone, but Keefe.

Sophie couldn't take it anymore. As the tears cascaded down her cheeks, Keefe pulled her close.

"What if you don't survive? Will you ever come back?" she asked thickly.

"I don't know, Sophie. I really don't know. But if I don't die, I'll come back someday, Sophie. I promise," he whispered.

Sophie watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a beaded bracelet. It had small ice blue beads with one slightly larger violet crystal in the center. "I want you to have this to remember me by. In case you, I don't know, make Fitzphie official," he said in a joking manner, but when he mentioned "Fitzphie," his face looked slightly heartbroken.

Sophie gave a small laugh. "You think I still like Fitz? That was just a stupid crush. I'm over him. He's a friend, and no more," she told him. When she said this, Keefe looked immensely relieved. Keefe slipped the bracelet over her wrist. As Sophie admired it, a thought struck her.

"Keefe, you said _two_ starstones, right?"

He smiled mysteriously. "Yes, I did, Foster."

"So..." Sophie held up her wrist with the bracelet.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out," he said, not elaborating.

The tears stopped, but Sophie didn't feel any better. Keefe brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and let his hand linger on her cheek. Sophie wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Instead, Keefe started to say something. "Sophie, I..." His voice trailed off. Sophie noticed how he was using her first name more often today.

Keefe cleared his throat. "You need to know something," he started. "I just wanted you to know, in case, you know, I don't survive, I want you to know that, even through everything that's happened these past months, I've always loved you, Sophie," Keefe said. He immediately looked down at the floor.

Sophie was shocked. Keefe liked _her_? _Keefe_ liked her? Keefe _liked_ her?

When Keefe saw her reaction, he rushed out, "I know you don't like me back, and that you never will, but I just wanted you to know that, in case I never got a chance to tell you in person, or something." He had _no_ idea how wrong he was.

Sophie smiled briefly and looked up at him. "I thought you were an Empath. Don't you know that I love you? Don't you know that I've loved you all this time? Don't you know that I was to stupid enough to realize it?" she told him.

Ro suddenly jumped up and let out a loud, "YES! I KNEW IT! YOU OWE ME, KEEFE! I WON THE BET! BE PREPARED FOR SOME _EPIC_ HUMILIATION!" Sophie felt as if her cheeks were on fire. They bet on whether she liked him or not?

They both ignored Ro. Sophie became painfully aware of how close they were sitting. There was barely an inch between them. Keefe's ice blue eyes now looked even more beautiful than before. His hair started to look even better, if that was possible.

Keefe reached up and cupped her cheek with his left hand. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and his breath felt warm on her cheeks. Another centimeter was gone between them. Two centimeters. Three.

Before Sophie knew it, Keefe slowly pressed his lips to hers.

Sophie felt a shiver run down her spine, and she kissed him back after a few seconds of shock. He wrapped his arms around her, and Sophie ran her fingers through his hair. Their lips fit perfectly together, and it scared Sophie how much she liked it.

From that moment, Sophie knew she loved Keefe with all her heart. She could barely hear Ro's squeal. As she kissed him, Sophie wondered why she'd ever been chasing after Fitz. Unlike Keefe, _he_ wasn't always there for her.

Keefe pulled Sophie closer, which shouldn't have been possible. She marveled at how soft his lips were. Much to Sophie's disappointment, Keefe pulled away.

"Sophie, you're making this even harder than it already is," Keefe complained.

Sophie smiled. "Good. That was what the whole point was."

Keefe pouted. "It's supposed to be _me_ teasing _you,_ Foster, not the other way around," he said grumpily, his arms still wrapped around her, his broad shoulders sheltering her smaller frame protectively.

Keefe looked as if he never wanted to leave, and for a moment, Sophie thought she really changed his mind. But Keefe sighed and with great reluctance, he said, "I should probably get going. Damel is probably waiting."

This time, Sophie felt the tears coming. As she cried silently and begged him to stay with her, Keefe wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered, "I'll come back, Sophie, and we can be together. I'll come back when this is all over, when the Black Swan wins. I'll come back, Sophie. Someday."

He kissed her again. It wasn't like their first kiss. It was a slightly heartbreaking one, but just as passionate. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck. She never intended to let go.

Keefe pulled away and held up the starstone. "Goodbye, Sophie," she heard as he glittered away.

When he was gone, she broke into another fit of tears and collapsed on her bed. She was heartbroken. Sophie could only count on Keefe's promise that he would come back someday. But she didn't know when that was. It could be in a year, ten, or a hundred. It was too indefinite.

But as she sobbed uncontrollably, Sophie knew he'd keep his promise.

And plus, since when did Keefe Sencen _not_ come back?

 **A/N: I know that was HORRIBLE. I hate myself. I can't write. I'm having a mental breakdown as I look at what trash I just wrote. (BTW, just so you know, Damel doesn't have the other starstone.) But I am soooooo sorry for not getting this chapter done sooner. The thing is, life got in the way. I had tests, projects, tests, tests to study for, projects, but I am completely responsible for this one thing: I always forget to save what I write. I write, like, ten paragraphs, and then I FORGET TO FLIPPING SAVE IT! That happened about ten times. I am sooooooo mad at myself.**

 **But anyway, thank you SO MUCH to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. BUT I WANT MORE, GUYS! Tell me how i'm doing, tell me that I'm doing horrible, give me suggestions, and all that good stuff!**

 **-ChickenButter888:)**

 **A/N(February 17, 2019): Wow. I read that over today again, and I just realized that it really is trash. I hate it. It's horrible. But I don't want to change it either, because I'm too lazy. I'll edit it some other day.**

 **A/N (March 14, 2019) Yay, I edited! It's still not as good as it can be, but... we'll stick with that. When I read that over, I cringed so hard that it still hurts. I'll go fix my other chapters. They're even _worse_ than this one. Seriously, thank you guys so much! I don't know how you bear reading this cat poo, but you guys are seriously amazing!**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	3. Chapter 3

**Keefe POV**

Keefe sniffled and wiped away the tears. It was no use to sob over the matter. _I'm going to go back to Sophie no matter what happens,_ Keefe promised himself. As he stood next to Damel, he thought about what had happened in the last few minutes. He was still shocked that Sophie actually _liked_ him.

He didn't deserve a girl as amazing as her.

He was also guilty about how relieved he felt when Sophie told him that she didn't like Fitz anymore. What kind of best friend was he?

Damel snapped him out of his thoughts. "So, are we going to stand here all day, or what?" he asked.

"That's _exactly_ what I was planning to do. I am going stand right here, on this beautiful piece of ground, for the rest of my life," Keefe said sarcastically. "No! Why the heck would I do that? I'm literally standing on a piece of goose poop!" he said, picking up his feet and checking the soles of his shoes.

To be honest, Keefe really _did_ want to stand there all day and stall. Not on the goose poop though, mind you. But... no. He sighed and held up the starstone, gripping Damel's arm tightly. As they glittered away, he kept reminding himself that he was doing the right thing. Right?

A moment later, Keefe found himself at an unfamiliar place. It was the hideout. He fumbled in the pockets of his tunic, looking for the vial of Fintan's blood he had obtained a week ago. How did he get a hold onto Fintan's blood? Even Keefe wasn't really sure how. Damel came up to him one day with just a vial of his blood, smiling proudly.

Keefe took it out and smeared it onto the doorknob. Honestly, Keefe was't really sure where he was supposed to smear the blood, but he kept his fingers crossed. He held his breath, hoping it would work. The irony smell of the blood almost made Keefe gag. it was disgusting.

Just like what he did to Sophie.

Honestly, he didn't understand how she actually still liked him after that. He just randomly pops to her house, tells her, "Hey! Imma join the Neverseen again!" and leaps away. And she still liked him. Were all girls like that?

But then again, Sophie was special.

Keefe glanced at Damel. He didn't looked doubtful. At all. There was something going on with Damel. He knew it.

All suspicion was temporarily forgotten, however, when Keefe successfully opened the door. He stepped inside with Damel. Everything was strangely silent. From his time with the Neverseen, he did not remember them as quiet people. They were actually rather similar to the Dizznee triplets. Fintan was always yelling at them, threatening to burn their arms off; Ruy would always shout back; Gethen then joined the fight, usually taking Ruy's side; and the rest would stand there, casting amused looks to the others.

Keefe felt a small flicker of doubt inside him. What if they didn't let him join? What if something went wrong when Damel was taking away the memories?

He looked everywhere he could. Anywhere they could be hiding. He looked in closets. Bathrooms. Checked basements. Looked under furniture. He was certain that he had the right hideout, yet there was nobody there. There was something fishy going on.

Keefe was checking every section of the hideout extremely carefully. There was nothing to be found. He silently cursed himself for not being a Telepath, where he could check for thoughts nearby. All he had was stupid Empath abilities.

He sighed and entered another room. Where could the Neverseen possibly be? The Neverseen never left their hideout completely deserted. It shouldn't be that hard to find a person, Keefe reasoned. It shouldn't be as hard as finding an object, seeing as elves were about ten times the size of one and much more noticeable.

Damel looked thoughtfully at Keefe for a moment, and suggested, "Why don't we split up? It might be faster that way." "Yeah, sure," he replied distractedly, suddenly noticing how empty every room was. Damel nodded and left the room.

There weren't any pieces of information, either. They had empty bookshelves, clear tables, and empty rooms. It looked as if the building had never been occupied. And then he noticed the footprints.

He followed them, checking twice to see if he was heading in the right direction, and making sure he could remember where he was coming from, as the footprints were leading him farther and farther into the huge building.

Keefe was starting to think that this was a bad idea when he was led into a basement. He felt a sneaking suspicion that he was walking into a trap. And that was only to be proven when he heard a horribly familiar voice.

"Looking for us?" Fintan sneered in a cold voice. Keefe immediately turned around to find multiple members of the Neverseen-Fintan, Gethen, Ruy, Trix, and Umber.

His heart nearly stopped.

 _Damel_ was with them too, wearing one of their cloaks with the creepy white eye symbol on the sleeves. He was shocked. All this time, he had been tricked. They had been planning this out for weeks, and all his hard work resulted in _this._ Damel raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" he asked.

Before he realized what was happening, he was knocked out cold by Fintan.

* * *

Keefe woke up and found himself bound to a chair in some kind of cell. He groaned and looked around. The ropes around him were too tight. His ankles and wrists, which were bound to the chair, screamed in agony. There was barely any light at all, and he could barely recognize the figure standing before him because of the darkness.

Gethen was standing before him, and Umber was standing next to him, looking ready to hit him with some shadowflux. And to think that he actually _worked_ with them. Keefe shuddered.

Ruy leaned down and whispered, "Do you have anything to tell us?" Keefe shook his head, hoping that he didn't look as frightened as he felt. Damel must have told them every detail of his plan to join them, he presumed.

Fintan pressed a dagger to his throat. "Now, that isn't the way to act. Tell us something. Or are you not really part of the Black Swan? Might you be a traitor, waiting for the right time to turn back on them?"

Keefe looked at Fintan, disgusted. "You must have some really pathetic common sense if you really think I'm going to do that," Keefe said, "or do you have none at all?"

Gethen sighed. "This isn't going to do anything—"

"It isn't," Keefe agreed.

Gethen shot him a look of disgust and continued, "So shall we bring the girl in?"

Keefe's mouth was suddenly extremely dry. Gethen meant Sophie. They had Sophie. And it was all his fault. Sophie was going to be killed because of him. _Sophie was going to get killed because of him._

They all nodded. Trix and Damel appeared at the doorway, holding Sophie tightly in their clutches. She looked at Keefe in alarm. There were ropes binding her wrists, and a cloth tied around her mouth. Keefe noticed, with some satisfaction, that Trix was sporting a broken nose. It was definitely Sophie's handiwork.

Keefe couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. And he _certainly_ didn't have a plan on how to escape. All he could do was watch as they brought Sophie in his cell. He couldn't bear to watch as they pushed her further into the cell and pressed a dagger to her throat. Fintan pressed hard enough that a bead of blood trickled down her neck.

"This is going to go further in if you don't tell us everything about the Black Swan," Fintan said nastily as he kicked her down onto her knees. Fintan looked right at Keefe. "And you," he said, "are going to watch your little girlfriend here _die._ "

Keefe didn't know what to do. There was nothing he _could_ do, with the ropes binding him to the chair. All he could do was watch as Ruy ripped off the cloth on her mouth and pressed the dagger further and further in to Sophie's neck as she remained silent. The blood was certainly coming faster now. Sophie squeaked in pain as the dagger was stuck further in.

"Tell us, girl. Everything you know. Or shall we have to kill you?" Fintan whispered.

Keefe was unaware that he was holding his breath. He had never felt so agitated in his life. His pulse was racing, his heart was thumping against his chest, and he was sweating bullets. He could barely look as Sophie remained silent, but Umber gripped his head so that he had to look right at Sophie. In a few seconds, Sophie would fall unconscious from the blood loss. She might even die.

Sophie opened her mouth, and Keefe heard Fintan give a slight intake of breath. He knew that they were not actually expecting her to say anything. Was she actually going to tell them?

Sophie looked up at Keefe, her eyes full of determination. "Go ahead. Kill me. I'm not telling you anything," she said, her voice tight with pain. Keefe couldn't blame her. If _he_ had a dagger pressed that far into his throat, Keefe didn't think he would be able to talk at all. Come to think of it, he wouldn't blame her for anything. "I don't care how far you stick that dagger into my throat. You're not going to get anything. Ever," she said.

Keefe's eyes widened with fear. "No! Foster, don't—"

Ruy kicked him hard in the shins. "Shut it, boy!" he snarled.

Fintan let his lips curl into a cruel smile. "I'll even let Keefe here go if you tell me everything," he said, urging her to say something.

 _I'm not saying anything,_ Sophie's mental voice said in his head. _They were not letting you go even if I said something, anyway. I checked._

 _No, Sophie. You are going to tell them the information. You will literally_ die _if you remain silent,_ he thought desperately.

 _Don't you think I realized that?_ she transmitted dryly.

 _I don't know what I would do if you were dead, Sophie. My mind will break from the guilt. I don't know what anyone would do without you,_ he thougt.

 _Just... no. I have to do this. Would you rather have the Neverseen take over the elvin world?_

 _It's the only way._

He saw her face, full of fear but also determined. Keefe knew there was nothing that could make her change her mind. That only left one choice.

Keefe took a deep breath and looked at Fintan dead in the eyes. "Here's a deal: if you let Sophie go and never hurt her again in any way, I'll do whatever you want. You can torture me all you want, but _you have to let Sophie go,_ " he said, emphasizing the last part.

The Neverseen all looked at each other. He knew how much they loved torturing people. They seemed to come to a silent agreement, and they all nodded. "Deal," Ruy said. He released Sophie from his grip, and Keefe felt as if he could breathe again. They undid the bonds on Sophie's wrists, but she looked at Keefe, a look of hurt and anger on her face.

When the Neverseen grabbed her and hauled her outside, she turned her head desperately to look at Keefe. "NO! Leave him alone! Take me!" Sophie shouted.

Gethen just smiled. "A deal's a deal," he said.

Keefe could feel Sophie extend her consciousness to him as she looked back at him one last time.

 _I love you,_ he thought.

 _I know. I love you too._

 **A/N: *looks down in shame* I'm SO sorry for the late update. I'm pathetic. And this is a horrible chapter. But it's better than my last two... right? But anyways,(I've been waiting to say this) BOOM! PLOT TWIST! YEEEEEEEEEES! PLOT TWISTS ARE AMAZING! Okay I'm done. One of the reasons why this was such a late update was because I rewrote this at least four times. I finished this really early, and then I looked back at it and thought it was pathetic. So I rewrote the WHOLE thing. And that happened, like, four times. But I also read Flashback, and I know that Umber died, so you can obviously tell that I did some weird thing and made Umber come back to life(?). But, just so you don't get confused, just pretend Umber never died. She should have a role in this story. So, uh, review, follow, favorite, and all of that good stuff! Bye!**

 **-ChickenButter888:)**

 **A/N (March 14, 2019) Heyyyyyyyy guys. I edited this thing to make it less trashy, so yeah. It still is, though. And be sure to REVIEW, FOLLOW, AND FAVORITE!**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sophie POV:**

Sophie groaned as she banged her head repeatedly on the surface of her desk. When she'd felt the stabbing pain, she realized she shouldn't have done that. She'd have a bruise there tomorrow.

Sophie was trying to come up with a plan to somehow get Keefe back from the Neverseen. Key word: _trying._ Not succeeding.

The past few days, Sophie had been having an epic long-term moping session. Long-term as in four days. Lying tangled in the sheets of her bed, crying her heart out, and refusing to speak to anybody. You get the idea. But today, she'd finally decided to take action. Sulking around was _not_ going to help matters right now.

The first step to everything was to make a plan. Sophie was stuck in that stage right now. For nearly three hours, she had been sitting at her desk, staring at a piece of blank paper, and racking her brains for an idea.

At first, Sophie hadn't wanted to pull her friends over to help her. This was _her_ problem. It would be unfair for them if she dragged them into this. They could get killed.

But now, at the three-hour point, Sophie swallowed her pride and hailed Tam, Linh, Biana, Dex, and Fitz. They were all surprised that she had spoken; the past few days, she wouldn't speak to anybody. They all said immediately that they would come to Havenfield.

Moments later, they were all standing in her room, looking anxious for her to tell them what was going on. She explained everything from the very beginning. She left out the mushy parts, though. They didn't need any distractions right now. But mostly, Sophie just didn't want to take the teasing. Especially from Biana. Before they all got into this mess, she'd been badgering Sophie to start going out with Keefe.

She told them how she was stuck making a plan and needed their help. All of them instantly told her that they would help. All except for Fitz.

Fitz was _not_ looking very happy. At all. "So, you're saying that Keefe had this stupid plan to go _back_ to the Neverseen, and ended up having you tortured and himself captured?" he said.

Before Sophie could respond, he continued, "Well, I refuse to take part in this. We already saw what happened last time, and Keefe's stupid enough to do it _again?_ What was he _thinking?_ And now, he got himself captured and you expect _me_ to help save him? No way. This is all _your_ fault, Sophie. _You're_ the one who was always complaining about how we weren't doing anything, so Keefe wanted to help. I guess Keefe's idea of _helping_ is almost killing Sophie and himself."

Before Sophie could recover from her shock, Dex shot back at Fitz, "Well, then, what the hell are you doing here? And I would like to know, _how_ could this possibly be Sophie's fault? She never _complained._ And Keefe's plan seemed perfectly fine to me, and it was not one bit stupid. In fact, the only stupid thing here is _you._ We don't need you to help us get Keefe back."

"Then FINE! HAVE FUN GETTING KILLED!" shouted Fitz, turning away. "AND DON'T BLAME ME WHEN YOU GUYS ARE ALL DEAD!" He slammed the door shut behind him.

Everyone was silent. Sophie was still registering what had happened. By the look on the others' faces, she knew that they were also as incomprehensive as she was. "Way to be encouraging," Tam muttered. "I'm having a word with my brother as soon as I get home," Biana said grimly. Dex nodded his enthusiastic approval. "Punch him in the face for me, will you?" he asked.

Linh came over and hugged Sophie. "None of this is your fault, Sophie. Fitz is just..." Linh looked like she wanted to say "stupid," but decided against it. "We'll figure it out," she said. Tam nodded seriously. "Don't start doubting yourself. It won't help anyone. This is the worst time to let your mind break."

Sophie let out the breath she'd been holding. Even though everyone told her differently(minus Fitz), she knew it all _was_ her fault. No matter what anyone said, she would always know deep down that she had caused all of this trouble. _She_ had been the one panicking over everything, almost pulling her hair out every day in frustration. It was her fault that Keefe was captured. It was her fault that Fitz left. It was her fault that they were going to die.

"Uh... so, weren't we going to figure out how to get Keefe back, or were you planning to just sit here and start blaming yourself for everything?" Tam asked Sophie.

"Oh... right," Sophie said. She decided to tell them about the bracelet Keefe gave her. Biana let out a loud giggle when she mentioned it. Sophie shot her a look that said, " _No 'I told you so' from you, Biana,"_ before telling them how Keefe said he had stolen _two_ starstones. They all had the same suspicion as Sophie: the stone in the center was the second starstone. "Huh. All this time I was thinking Keefe was as dumb as a cow," Tam commented.

But nobody could be sure that it really was the second starstone. There was only one way to see if it really was, and that method was extremely risky and downright stupid. They _could_ hold up the stone to the light and see if it whisked them away to a whole new place that turns out to be the hideout, but the problem was _what if it really was the second starstone?_ They'd just suddenly appear at an unfamiliar place, and chances were that they would last five minutes before they were killed or captured and tortured.

Sophie was also hesitant when Biana suggested that they just plan anyways and say that the stone _was_ the starstone. If it _wasn't_ the starstone, they would've been planning for no reason. They would have no way to the hideout, and Sophie and the others would have to come up with a completely different plan.

So what could she do? "Well, we could always kidnap someone we hate and have them see if that stone really is a starstone," Biana suggested. "Like Fitz!" Dex said excitedly. Linh frowned. "But how do we know that we'll get it _back_ if it really is one?" Tam asked. "They'd be killed by the Neverseen the moment they get there."

Sophie groaned. All they needed was _time._ But of course, they didn't have that. Keefe could be killed by the time they had a well thought-out plan. Come to think of it, they never had had time before. But how did everything in the past work out?

The answer was luck. But Sophie wasn't sure that they'd have any of that this time. Their original plan literally _never_ worked out. It was always a combination of luck and improvisation. But Sophie didn't dare to take any chances and make up the plan as they went. They'd die for sure if they did that.

"I think we should just assume this is a starstone," she said, holding up the bracelet. "It looked extremely similar to the one I saw Keefe use, and if we assumed it wasn't one, we would have a bunch of extra work to do, like finding a way to get to the hideout. The last thing I want right now is extra, unnecessary work." Everyone nodded their approval.

"But we need a member of the Neverseen's blood to actually get _in_ the freaking building," Biana said. Sophie sighed. "I know. But I don't know how," she said. "Well, we can just hail them and ask really nicely, 'Excuse me, but I would really like to have some of your blood. Could you possibly mail me a vial of it? Thank you,'" Tam said sarcastically. Linh slapped her brother.

"We could somehow lure one of them here," Dex suggested. "But how?" Linh questioned.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Nobody had an idea. Suddenly, realization dawned upon Sophie. "Do it the way they used to do it. Send a note."

"We could just not go inside the hideout at all and just offer a piece of information in exchange for Keefe," Linh said.

Sophie considered the idea. "Yes, that could work," she said slowly. "That would be much less trouble than actually going to the hideout to sneak Keefe out. And we could offer information, and when they come, we could tell them lies," she said.

"Where do we leave the note, though?" Dex asked. "The starstone would bring us outside the hideout. We'd need blood to get in, but we don't need to get in and we don't have blood. Just leave the note on the door," Linh said.

"You're a genius, Linh," Sophie said, "You just saved us a bunch of agonizing thinking and planning." Linh flushed with pleasure. "It was nothing," she said. Dex started, "So many things could go wrong with this, though. That stone might not take us to the hideout. The Neverseen could refuse. We could get killed. We could-"

"Do me a favor, Dex, and shut up. You're killing the mood," Tam said.

Just then, they heard footsteps and cries of pain from Sandor and Ro.

The door was thrown open to reveal Fintan dragging an unconscious Keefe. The room went completely silent.

Fintan smiled wickedly and said, "I've got a deal."

 **A/N: Even a thousand apologies probably couldn't make you forgive me. I am so sorry for the late update. Late as in about three weeks. In my defense, though, I had REALLY bad writer's block. I just couldn't think of anything to write. (I admit, I was also procrastinating.) I am a disgrace.**

 **And then I had an idea. A plan. It was really long, and it went, like, three chapters. I had three chapters planned out.**

 **I went to write it down the next day, and four days later, I looked at it and wrinkled my nose in disgust and said, "This is trash." And I COMPLETELY abandoned that plan.**

 **So I came up with a completely new plan today and wrote it down. When I ate dinner, I completely threw it away and was like, "I JUST GOT ANOTHER IDEA OH MY GOD QWEUHRCNQOEWUHFBC." And so I abandoned my other one and stayed with this one. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE share them with me. I hope this chapter is okay, and please review, follow, and favorite!**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sophie POV:**

Nobody spoke for a moment, apparently too shocked to understand what was happening. But while the others were staring at Fintan, Sophie stared in horror at Keefe's wounds. His hair was matted with blood from a cut on the side of his face, there was a large burn mark on his neck, and most horrifying of all was the unbelievably long cut on his left forearm.

There were so many bruises, cuts, and burns that Sophie couldn't count them. Every single wound Sophie saw on Keefe's body felt like a knife to her heart. Oh, the Neverseen were _so_ going to get it after this. No one hurts Keefe without getting hurt themselves.

Fintan grinned and said, "Is nobody eager to know what I have to offer?"

Sophie couldn't say she was. She gave him a look that said, _Does it look like I am?_

"More like what you want," Tam muttered under his breath. Fintan glared at Tam and his hands burst into fire. Sophie took a step back. She was definitely _not_ ready to become barbecue. "Careful, now. I would choose my next words carefully if I were you," he said. Tam glared back until Fintan looked away.

Dex took a deep breath and said, "What do you want from us?"

"Oh, nothing much. It's actually quite a good deal I have. You'll be on your knees and begging me for what I have once you hear what I'd like in return," he said, casually gesturing to Keefe, who was on the floor next to him.

Fintan took out a small vial of some kind of liquid from his pocket, pulled off the lid, and held it over Keefe. Sophie looked at it, not sure what it was. Suddenly, she knew.

Soporidine.

"You can give me the one you call Mr. Forkle, and I'll give you this young man here. If you refuse my generous offer, you might find that my grip on this will _slip_ ," Fintan loosened his grip so that the vial dangled dangerously between his fingers, "and Keefe'll fall into about a year of sleep."

"Nothing much? You call that _nothing much?!"_ Biana shrieked.

Keefe's lips twitched as if he was hiding a smile, and Sophie wasn't sure if he was really unconscious or not. Sophie sighed and transmitted to the others, _Guys, start talking really loudly. I'm going to see if Keefe'll answer me when I transmit, and I can't let Fintan know._

They didn't answer, but started arguing among each other about whether or not they should accept. It was rather amusing to see them talk in extra-loud voices.

 _Keefe?_ she transmitted.

 _Finally, Foster! You have no idea how long I've been lying here, waiting for you! But anyways, tell me when I can get up and punch Fintan in the face. I can't see,_ Keefe responded. Sophie almost yelped when he responded. She didn't think he was actually awake.

 _No, don't! He's got a vial of soporidine right above you. If you stand up, you'll knock it out of his hand and spill it all over you. And one year of sleep does_ not _sound fun._

 _Oh God,_ he sighed. Sophie could tell that he was really looking forward to punching Fintan.

 _And make sure you guys don't fall for his trick. Even if you guys do agree, he's going to pour it on me. I overheard them planning when I was in my cell. By the way, where's Fitz? I haven't heard his voice._

Sophie remained silent. It was something of a rather sensitive topic to her.

 _What happened?_ Keefe thought gently.

 _He... kind of got mad at me... And then he... well, he left._

 _Why the heck did he get mad at you?_ his mental tone angry.

 _Honestly? I don't even know._

 _Did he yell at you? I'm willing to bet he yelled at you._

 _...Yeah._

 _Oh, he's SO busted. If I don't die and get through all this, I'm having a word with him._

 _You're next in line after Biana._

Sophie smiled. She hated to say it, but Sophie was eager to see them yell at Fitz. Recently, he hadn't been much help at all. Personally, Sophie thought he was rather a pain in the butt. Especially since he yelled at her for no apparent reason, she was liking Fitz less and less.

Sophie hesitated. Should they hand over Mr. Forkle? Despite what Keefe said, Sophie wanted to try her luck. All she wanted was to get Keefe back. Even if it meant taking the biggest risk in her life, she'd do anything to get him back.

Her hands shaking, she transmitted to her friends, _Keefe said that he heard the Neverseen planning in his cell. He said that Fintan would pour the soporidine on him even if we give him Mr. Forkle. But... we have to take this chance. It may be our only way to get him back._

Sophie didn't like it. Not one bit. If there was the option of jumping off the cliff and getting Keefe back, she'd take it.

"So, are you going to give me Mr. Forkle, or will this _poor_ boy have to suffer a year of dreamless, miserable sleep?" Fintan said. "It's your choice. You've got a minute to decide. After that," Fintan didn't need to finish. They all knew what he was going to do.

When they remained silent, he added, "I'll even give you a free piece of information. But the clock is ticking. You've got thirty seconds left."

But they didn't have the chance to make the decision, which was all the better. The door swung open to reveal Mr. Forkle. "I'll go with you," he said, not even looking at Sophie and the others. His sudden appearance, like Fintan's, earned a few moments of shock and complete silence.

Sophie, however, recovered quickly. "No, don't!" she said. Though in the inside, she knew that she wanted him to go. She was disgusted by her own selfishness. She was going to have Keefe back, but at what cost? Mr. Forkle, the man who had guided her through life, who had created her, who had been the one she came to depend on, was going to leave forever. There would be absolutely no way to get him back.

"I have to. I know you can manage without me. You'll do great things someday, Sophie. You already have," he said. A tear slipped from her eye. He was going to leave her forever. Sophie would never see him again.

Sophie felt Linh wrap her arms around her. "It's going to be okay," Linh said, her voice also cracking.

Fintan, however, seemed to be enjoying this scene. He smiled as if he had received a real treat. "Well, in that case," he said, letting go of his grip on Keefe.

Sophie let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, which was a mistake. Just as she was about to turn away, she saw the vial of soporidine slip from Fintan's fingers. "Oops!" Fintan said, grinning like mad.

Without hesitation, Sophie lunged to catch the bottle. They just went through _all_ that trouble to lose Mr. Forkle and to receive a heavily sedated Keefe? Not on Sophie's watch.

Sophie did catch the bottle, but...

Half of it had spilled on her. Dread washed over Sophie like a wave of a cold ocean of poison. Her least favorite thing was being sedated and yet, here she was.

Her eyesight blurred. Sophie couldn't think straight. Everyone's screams and protests became faraway sounds in the background. The last thing she heard before she fell into the longest sleep she would ever experience was Fintan's cold, cruel voice.

"There's something about us that you keep forgetting over and over. This is going to get you killed someday. _The Neverseen don't play fair."_

 **A/N: Yeah, guys, let's face the truth. I'm absolutely _horrible_ at updating on time. Like seriously. Since this is my first fanfiction, I decided at first, _Hey, let's take it slow. I'll update one chapter every one and a half weeks._ No can do. Now I scoff at the idea of updating every one and a half weeks. I can barely do two and a half weeks. So yeah. Don't expect wonders from me. But anyways, PLOT TWIST! YEAH! Okay, bye. And I promise, I'm getting these up as fast as I can! I'll try to update more often. Key word: try. Yeah, so have low expectations of me, and you won't be disappointed. Like, I mean, REALLY low. Like one chapter every three weeks, which will probably happen preeeeetty often.**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	6. I'M ALIVE!

**A/N: I'M STILL ALIVE, GUYS! God, how long has it been since I last updated? It's probably been almost a month. So, uh, this isn't a new chapter. Sorry. This was just to let you know that I'm still alive and working on the story. I'm just having a bit of writer's block, but I'll get over it. It's so frustrating. I have my whole plot planned out, but I don't know how to put it in words. I don't know how to get there.**

 **But, I promise, the sixth chapter will be out some day. Give me another two weeks. Another three at the most. If I don't get it out by the end of the month, you're welcome to scream at me through PMs. Go ahead. I deserve it.**

 **And, also, I want to let you guys know that I'm never going to abandon this fanfic. I'll work on it till it's done. Even if I don't update in ten years, I'll always come back to it. So, DON'T WORRY! THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE STORY COMING!**

 **I'm really sorry for the long wait. I'm trying to get the sixth chapter out as fast as I can. It's just really hard to put it into words. Oh, and I left you guys on a cliffhanger, didn't I? Aren't I evil? I love torturing people. I'm known as "The Violent One" to many people. So, thank you so much for being so patient, and you're welcome to scream at me if you want! Get it aaaaaaaall out.**

 **So, yeah! Hopefully the next chapter will be out by next week. Meanwhile, you guys can be plotting for revenge or whatever you guys do.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	7. Chapter 6

**Ruy POV:**

You know that feeling you get when your "boss" comes over to you casually and goes like, "Hey, your closest friend at 'work' just died. Can you take charge for the moment here while I go kidnap Forkle and the Moonlark? Thanks."

Nah, Ruy didn't either. Or at least, he didn't before that happened just now.

Ruy looked at Fintan like he was insane. Heck, he _was_ insane. "No thanks. I'd rather eat a bag of hair," he said, but Fintan either didn't hear him, ignored him, or didn't understand the meaning of the word "no." If the last one was true, Fintan _really_ needed to take up on some vocab lessons.

He and Gethen hadn't been the best of buddies, but they _were_ closer to each other than with the other members. The scary Shade who is always fixing her hair? No. The Pyrokimaniac who always threatened to burn your arms off even though you were on the same side? Ruy shuddered. The too-smart-for-her-own-good and too-pretty-for-her-own-good psycho who manipulates her own son? Oh _god, no._ Even Ruy wasn't as cruel as that!

And not to mention Vespera. She _seriously_ gave him the creeps.

Also, it'd be weird to be good friends with a teenager half your age. Besides, Damel was new. Ruy didn't even know him for that long.

So, he and Gethen worked together to stay sane in this whole mess.

An hour later, Ruy was mentally cursing Fintan. Why did _he_ have to endure this sanity-murdering job? Couldn't Umber or someone else suffer this agonizing torture?

And to make matters worse, Fintan didn't even give him any details. "Oh, Gethen's dead." Yeah. _So_ enlightening, wasn't it? Everyone was peppering him question after question, and it _really_ hurt his reputation and pride when the only answer he could give to anything was, "I don't know." Amazing, isn't it?

But as pissed off as this was making Ruy, the real problem was: How were they going to get a new telepath? They _did_ have Damel, but he was young and still getting used to the almost dying every other day routine thing. They needed someone more experienced. The Black Swan now had a big advantage, and nothing made Ruy want to punch things more than knowing that the Black Swan were definitely going to win.

But also, the Neverseen weren't _dumb._ They were everything _but_ dumb. Cruel, ruthless, rude, cold-hearted, and all that jazz, but anything but stupid. They knew everything that was going on around here. And that meant that Ruy knew that Fitz was not being cooperative to the Black Swan at the moment, and this could turn in the Neverseen's favor.

Without notifying anyone, Ruy used the Everglen crystal to leap away.

A moment later, he found himself standing in front of an annoyingly bright gate. Ruy had always hated the Vackers, who were always so full of themselves that there was no space left for food. They would always say, _Hey, look at me, I'm a Vacker and I'm_ so _rich! You'd all better bow down to me or the Council will be mad!_ They were always showing off, thinking that they were so superior to everyone else. _We'll see who the superior ones are after they're on their knees begging for mercy,_ Ruy thought crossly.

When he stepped inside the house, Ruy immediately spotted the moody boy with anger issues kicking the wall and cussing to the empty air. After he put a force field around himself(because he was fairly sure that the Vacker boy would start throwing things), he stepped forward and addressed Fitz. The boy was so engrossed in torturing the wall that he didn't even notice Ruy walking towards him.

"So," he started quietly. Fitz's head snapped toward his direction. Less than a second later, there were shoes flying in the air, aimed at Ruy's head. _Called it,_ he thought. "I'm not here to murder you," Ruy said, his voice amused. Fitz's head snapped up and panicked. "You expect me to believe that?" he said after a few speechless moments. "I see you're as dense and uncooperative as ever," Ruy sighed. Before Fitz could answer, he continued. "I came to recruit you," he said. The boy's expression was priceless. "... Recruit me?" The Vacker must have had hearing problems.

"Yes," Ruy said, fighting his impulse to yell at Fitz. "I've heard you had problems with the Black Swan's puppet, yes? So I want you to join the Neverseen," he said. The bewildered teen stared at him as if he was crazy. "Join the Neverseen?" Fitz repeated. Ruy was getting irritated. Was it necessary to repeat everything he said?

Ruy could almost see the gears turning in Fitz's head. "Fitz," he started, his voice gentler. He fought the urge to gag. What kind of name was _Fitz?_ And then Ruy remembered that his real name was _Fitzroy._ He suddenly felt pity for the boy. Imagine how hard it was introducing yourself to other people. _Hey, uh, I'm Fitzroy._ Ruy was pretty sure that nobody would have been able to repress their snicker.

With a shudder, he continued. "You've been lied to your whole life. The elvin world would not be at war if it was not for the Moonlark. Everything was her fault. Join the winning team, Fitz. You're going to get killed working with the Black Swan."

"Everything was her fault..." Ruy heard him murmur to himself. He was starting to regret his decision of trying to recruit this stupid boy. He'd be absolutely useless! Ruy could just imagine what Fintan would say to him. _The Neverseen are supposed to be a group full of_ intelligent _rebels, and this is what you give me?_

Ruy _thought_ that the "Golden Boy" of the family was supposed to be more intelligent, but _no._ He was as thick and dense as a donkey.

But alas, a stupid telepath was better than no telepath. So here they were. "Come on," he said, "make up your mind." And still, the boy stared at him, his face lacking emotion.

Finally, Ruy's patience broke. "You've got thirty seconds," he snapped. "And after thirty seconds...?" Fitz urged. Shoot. Ruy didn't think of that, and all he had were his stupid Psionipath powers. His special ability was good for protection against an angsty teenager's shoes, but it was useless when it came to actively fighting.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out when you're out of time," was all Ruy said.

Fitz visibly gulped. In Ruy's opinion, it was a wonder that he didn't immediately accept his offer. What was better than getting revenge on a stupid, lying, manipulative person you've had as an ally for years on end? _Nothing._

Ruy watched as Fitz took a shaky deep breath. The boy opened his mouth and started to say something when a sedative disk landed at his feet. Fitz looked at it in alarm and never had the chance to hold his breath. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

Shockingly, it was not him who threw the disk. He would've _loved_ to be the one who was responsible for the unconscious Vacker. It would've been very satisfying to knock out Fitz after he had to endure his moment of epic stupidness.

But no, it was not Ruy who had done it. Crouching a few feet behind Fitz's body was a grinning Damel. "Kafuta! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I thought you would need a bit of help, sir," Damel said, still grinning.

"Oh, so it's _sir,_ now is it? Is this your way of apologizing for coming on an extremely risky mission that you WERE NOT INVITED ON?" Ruy practically shouted. He could have handled it just fine!

Okay, maybe he was not handling it _fine,_ but still!

Damel just gave Ruy a look. He was good at giving looks. "But anyways, why are you recruiting the _Vacker boy?_ Isn't he the stupid one?" Damel said.

 _Well, duh. Of_ course _he's the stupid one_ , Ruy wanted to say. But he knew that would only cause trouble. "We needed another telepath," he said instead. Damel looked hurt. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough? And are you trying to replace me with the _Vacker boy?"_

Ruy sighed. He was almost as annoying and stupid as Fitz. Talk about angsty teens.

"Mr. Kafuta, always jumping to wrong conclusions. Stupid, farfetched conclusions, I might add. _No._ Have you forgotten that the Black Swan have _four_ telepaths? And we have _one,_ " Ruy said. But they wouldn't have four telepaths after a few minutes. As annoying as he was, Fitz was going to become part of the Neverseen.

It was a huge honor, really. Fitz didn't even deserve to be part of the Neverseen, and here they were, going as far as erasing Fitz's memories of how cruel the Neverseen were to him the past year.

They brought him to their hideout. Right when they appeared in the room, every single head turned their way.

In unison, the Neverseen yelled, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" at Ruy and Damel. Ruy thought that they should join a choir. Ruy grabbed a fistful of the unconscious Fitz's hair and lifted him up without saying a word. Everyone seemed to understand.

The Neverseen were amazing in that way. No explaining, and everyone understood. Of course, once the Vacker boy joined, things would become more... well, _frustrating_ was putting it mildly.

Some studied the Vacker with doubt, and some looked disappointed. But nobody said anything against Ruy. They all knew that Fitz would be the best recruit. Which was quite depressing, really, when you thought about it.

"You ready?" Ruy asked Damel quietly. When he nodded, they set to work.

And after about half an hour, the job was done. They didn't take much away from him, though. Just the pain they had caused them and his so-called _friends_ was gone.

And of course, they left the argument between him and Sophie with Fitz. That was definitely going to come in handy in convincing him to cooperate.

Ruy shuddered to imagine explaining everything about them to the boy. He decided that his worst nightmare would be trying to teach the boy.

And it would have to come true one day.

Ruy's life really was depressing.

* * *

 **Fitz POV:**

"W-where am I?" was the first thing that slipped from Fitz's mouth.

He heard Ruy scoff and mutter under his breath, "Of course the first thing he says is a question." Fitz didn't know whether he should be offended or not.

And then it came crashing down on him.

Standing above where he was lying, multiple eyes looked down at him. His eyes flicked from one face to another. Ruy. Damel. Umber. Gisela. Trix. Vespera. All part of the Neverseen.

He didn't panic, though. He knew that they could help him. What he _didn't_ know was how he fell unconscious right when he was having a conversation with Ruy. He was just about to accept his offer, and then–nothing. He didn't remember what happened next.

Also, it would definitely be sweet to get revenge. To see Sophie's face when he appeared in the Neverseen cloak... to finally get her back for lying to him for longer than a year... Fitz got an indescribable longing for the possibilities.

"Would you like to join us, Fitz Vacker?" Vespera said in her soft voice.

When Fitz hesitated, Gisela said, "She's been lying to you the whole time. The Moonlark has caused us all this trouble. If she hadn't been poking around, lying, and doing what she's been for _months,_ we would never be in this war. But here we are. And don't you want to be on the winning side, Fitz? Do you want to taste the sweetness of victory, to finally get revenge on Sophie? Or do you want to die along with those stupid Black Swan losers? They'll never win. You should know that, having worked with them for the past year."

And that was all Fitz needed. He was going to join. There was no changing his mind, no going back. But of course, there would simply be no need to go back. He knew that he would never regret his decision.

For years, Sophie had kept him blindfolded, hiding the truth from him. He was deprived of the sense of victory, of the fleeting sense of glory. She had lied to him for so long, and he would finally be getting revenge.

But now, the Neverseen helped him strip away that blindfold. Now he saw the truth, not the pretty lies the Black Swan had led him to believe. And Fitz would be forever grateful.

"Will you join us?" Ruy asked.

He said the word that changed everything. Three letters that held so much meaning. Three letters that could light up his future or tip the world sideways and lead to disaster.

"Yes."

 **A/N: wOw. Is this... is this... AN UPDATE? OH YES IT IS, DEAR READERS! AFTER A MONTH(I THINK IT'S BEEN MORE), I'VE FINALLY UPDATED! THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION!**

 **Okay. Got that out of my system. And there aren't words strong enough to describe how sorry I am. You know, for the ONE MONTH WAIT? Even _I'm_ angry! Sorry.**

 **Of course, you guys are welcome to scream at me and hate on me through your reviews and your PMs. YOUR ANGER IS WELCOME, GUYS! (If I were you, I'd be pretty damn excited right now.)**

 **In my defense, though, I had _horrible_ writer's block. And ya know, I actually had the very end of this chapter planned out, word for word before I even got started on the beginning? And then, when I actually wrote the end, I didn't put in that part. It just... didn't fit. Sure, it _sounded_ good, but... I like to leave things at cliffhangers. Does this even count as one, though?**

 **See, this is my chapter brainstorming and writing routine:**

 **Me: *sits at desk and stares at screen for incredibly long time***

 **1 hour later:**

 **Me: Okay. I'm DONE. tHis iS nOt HeLPing.**

 **In the middle of the night(or, more accurately, at three in the morning):**

 **Me: OMG OMG OMG OMG I JUST GOT AN AMAZING IDEA FOR THE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS FOR MY FANFIC AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH... *gets out of bed and writes down ending on mirror***

 **Yes. I write on my mirror.**

 **And then, it turns out, when I'm finished with the beginning and the middle, I get another idea for the ending and I completely throw the original idea away.**

 **I kinda regret not putting it in, but it was a bit extra. Maybe I'll tell you guys what it was someday. Right now, I'm too lazy. And my mother's screaming at me to go shower.**

 **Shannon's starting to rub off of me with those cliffhangers. It's real nice, getting to torture people without needing physical contact. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Though, I have to say, the physical contact is pretty satisfying.**

 **Did I ever mention that I am known as "The Violent One" to a lot of people? Like seriously. _A lot._**

 **Okay, I'm getting off topic.**

 **But yeah! Chapter 6 is DONE! WOO HOO! And... now I have to work on the seventh. *cue panicking and orders for more sanity-saving cookies* I'll shut up now.**

 **And as always, don't forget to REVIEW, FOLLOW, AND FAVORITE!**

 **Now I'll shut up. Promise.**

 **-ChickenButter888**


	8. News (Good or bad, I don't know)

**A/N: I feel like I don't even deserve to be talking to you guys, but straight to the point—there's something you guys need to know. I _might_ have been banned from writing fanfiction... but when have I ever _not_ done the things I have been banned from? Yes, you heard right. I WILL STILL BE UPDATING! But the updates will be painfully slow. Like, super slow. But I promise, I _will_ update. I'm really sorry about this, but at least I won't be leaving this forever. And yes, I AM STILL ALIVE!**

 **-ChickenButter888 :)**


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